Apparatus for stacking articles



Dec. 9, 1924. 1,518,557

J. H. BOETTC-HER APPARATUS FOR STACKING ARTICLES Filed June 4, 1923 2Sheets-Sheet 1 4-; ATTORNEYJ Dec. 97

J. H. L. BOETTCHER APPARATUS FOR S'IACKING ARTICLES Filed June 4, 1923 2Sheets-SheetZ uill/[1111a YIIIII/Il/I/I/l 7/14 IN VEN TOR /a 006 #6/ 777 06 L udqru v 50a ffclrer A TTORNEYS Patented Dec. 9, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JACOB HEINRICH LUDWIG BOETTCHER, OF ORANGE, NEW JERSEY.

APPARATUS FOR STACKING ARTICLES.

Application filed June 4,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAooB HEINRICH LUD- WIG Bon'r'roHnn, a citizen ofthe United States, and resident of Orange, in the county of Essex andState of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Improvement inApparatus for Stacking Articles, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to a certain new and orginal apparatus forstacking crackers or other articles adapted to be stacked therebOrdinarily these articles are arranged by hand in a plurality of stacksand then placed in the boxes or containers. This invention 'has to doparticularly with arranging the articles in stacks, and provides anexceedingly simple and effective way of doing this.

An object of the invention consists in providing such an apparatus whichincludes means for feeding the articles in sequence, and for restrainingthe movement of the following articles while each leading one is passedinto its stacked position.

Another object consists in providing such an apparatus which is verysimple and cheap to manufacture, while very accurate and effective inoperation.

Another object consists in providing certain improvements in the form,construction and arrangement of the several parts. whereby the abovenamed and other objects may be effectively attained.

A practical embodiment of my invention is represented in theaccompanying drawings, in which- Fig. 1 represents a side elevation ofthe apparatus.

Fig. 2 represents a top plan view thereof.

Figs 3 and 4: represent longitudinal sectional views illustrating theoperation, and

Fig. 5 represents a cross sectional view taken in the plane of the lineVV of l, looking in the direction of the arrows.

The apparatus includes an inclined trough or guideway in which thearticles are placed in line, and includes means for intermittentlyreleasing the leading article and restraining the succeeding articleswhile the leading one is sliding from the inclined trough to stackedposition in a receptacle. The apparatus also includes a receivingreceptacle so arranged as to permit a stack of articles to be bodilyremoved therefrom.

The reference numeral 6 designates a slop- 1923. Serial No. 543,354.

ing guideway or trough terminating in the reservoir or container 7. Thearticles a may be placed in the trough in any convenient manner from anytype of feeding device, or by hand.

Means is'provided over the trough for re leasing one article at a timeand holding the others While this one is being released. This meanscomprises a rocking lever 8 secured to a shaft 9 in any convenientmanner, over the trough, preferably near the reservoir or container. Oneend of this lever is bent downward at 10 to facilitate holding tln rowof articles, as shown in Fig. 3. As this lever is moved from theposition in Fig. 8, the articles will start moving by gravity to theposition shown in Fig. 4. A plunger 11 (hereafter described) will thenrest on the second article in the row and thus hold them all back whilethe first one continues moving towards the container.

The plunger 11 is mounted in a bearing 12 on the lever 8 and has anexpansion spring 13 between the lever and a rounded head 14 on theplunger. This compensates for variations in the thickness of thearticles and provides a means for firmly holding the articles withoutinjury to them.

Secured to the outer end of the shaft 9 is a crank 15 which has pivotedto it at 16 a link 17, which may be connected with any source of powerfor imparting a reciprocating motion thereto in order to give thenecessary rocking motion to the lever 8.

The bottom 18 of the container 7 is preferably sloped slightly in thesame direction as the slope of the trough 6. This is desirable as itprevents the articles when they land in the container from being upendedand getting out of the desired position. Both the slope 18 at the bottomof the container and the slope of the trough 6 may be changed to suitthe article that is being stacked.

As shown, the end of the container 7 nearer to the trough is open andthe opposite end is closed by a removable gate 19. The reason for thisis that, when the desired number of articles has been placed in thecontainer, the gate 19 may be removed and a pusher of any type may enterat the open end and remove the stack of articles from the container.This pusher and the gate may be operated automatically in any convenientmanner.

A brief description of the operation follows: Referring to Figs. 3 and4:, the desired number of articles are fed into the trough 6 and held bythe end 10 of the lever 8 from advancing to the container 7 The lever 8is rocked by its crank 15 and the row of articles starts to move. Whenthelever 8 is in the position shown in Fig. 4, the spring pressedplunger 11 holds the second article, and thus therow, until the one thathas just been released is out of the Way of the lever, When the latterreturns to the position of Fig. 8. lVhen the lever returns to saidposition the row of articles moves from theposition of Fig. 4 to that ofFig. 3, so that, as the operation continues, they are fed one at a timeinto the container until the desired number are stacked therein.

It Will be understood that various changes may be resorted to in theform, construction and arrangement of the several parts Withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of my invention; and hence I donotintend to 1 be limitedto the details herein shown and article at atime from the chute to the support upon Which the articles assemble insuperposed relation.

'2. An apparatus of the character described comprising, a support forthe articles in their stacked position, a chute so spaced from saidsupport as to permit the assembly of a vertical stack of articles uponthe said support and to permit the operation of displacing .means toremove the stack from the support, and means for feeding one article ata time "from the chute .to the support upon Which the articles assemblein: superposed relation.

3. An apparatus of-the character described comprising, a chute fromwhich the articles to be packed are dischargedone at a time, meansin thechute for controlling the dis charge of the articles, and a bOX-llkGTG-ceptacle at the discharge end of the chute in which receptacle thearticles assemble in a vertical stack, said receptacle being larger incross section than the stack ofarticles to permit .the operationofdisplacing means to force the assembled stack from the re-- ceptacle andhaving an opening through which the stack may be removed, and said chutebeing connected with said receptacle at an upper portion thereof.

In testimony, thatfI claim the foregoing H as my'invention, I havesigned by name this 31st day of May, 1923.

JACOB HEINRICH LUDWIG BOETTCHER. v

